Rotary internal combustion engine



1 July 19, 1938 'H. F. WOLSTENHOLME 2,124,327

ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGTNE Filed Feb. 1, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORI. b urry E //olnen ZaZme,

BY 1 gamma.

ATTORNEY.

y F. WOLSTENIHOLME 7 ROTARY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Fild Feb. 1, 195a 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, l /drr' y We Z3592 ",7: 01m a,

a vemfghlmx V ATTORNEY.

' developed at Patented July 19, 1938 NIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

In my Patent No. 1,795,750 a rotary internalcombustion engine is disclosed comprising a stator element including an annular cylinder; a rotor element having an abutment in the cylinder; and power-transmitting means comprising alever fulcrumed in the rotor and a piston connected therewith and within the cylinder and coactive with the abutment to form an explosion space, the stator having means (as camways) to effect oscillation of the lever twice in each cycle, or for wardly on explosion, reversely to expel the spent fuel charge, forwardly for intake of a fresh charge, and reversely. for compressing the latter charge, and said stator also affording a purchase (as by a hump or humps) for the lever on each explosion.

In that case the reciprocation of each piston was opposed by pressure and suction in a space relatively back of it, i. e., between it and the abut-' ment non-cooperative therewith in its function to drive the rotor, and whereas this space-was augmented by a peripherally open pocket in the rotor in which the corresponding piston-lever oscillated nevertheless a space existed which was individual to such piston and hence in which suction and pressure were operative to retard its movements. According to this invention the space relatively back of each piston is made to communicate with that relatively back of any other piston whereby the suction tending to be any time by any one piston may be offset by the pressure tending to be developed by any other.

Regarding the rotor and fixed structure or cylinder-including stator as two elements either of which is rotative relatively to the other around the main axis of the engine, the latter element in- Cal cludes a housing surrounded by the cylinder and divided into two compartments by an apertured disk of the other element, one compartment communicating through the continuous slot of the cylinder (through which each piston lever extends) with the interior of the latter and the other containing the means to impart motion to a each piston-lever, which latter projects through the disk aperture, and there is means toclose this aperture.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the engine with the left-hand head 2 and left-hand half of the water jacket appearing in Fig. 2 removed and the shell I and other parts appearing in section in a plane somewhat to the left of the left-hand plate I8; j

Fig. 2 is a section substantially on the line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the rotor; I Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one of the disks I1; and

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of one of the pistons.

The stator.-Concentric, equal-diameter shells I, spaced from each other, have their outer ends closed by heads 2 secured thereto by screws 3 and affording central ball-bearings 4. Surrounding the shells and forming with them a housing is a water-jacket 5 formed in two halves secured together by screws 6 and to the shells by the screws 3. Secured to the inner flanges I of the heads 2 are ring gears 8 concentric with the shells and bearings 4. The shells have adjoining interior-flanges 9. Between exterior flanges II] of the shells are arranged the sections or approximate halves of the annular cylinder II which surrounds the shells and whose sections have exterior flanges I Ia grooved at their adjacent faces to receive yielding packing I2 and having on their outer faces ribs IIb giving the flanges a T- shaped appearance in cross-section. I3 denotes a two-part annular clamp which embraces the T-head and whose parts are secured together by screws l4. The adjoining faces of the flanges IIa being machined off so that when abutting each other the pistons and abutments contained in the cylinder have a proper fit with respect to; the latter, the packing forms a hermetic seal between said faces. The cylinder has a continuous inner slot IIc open to the spaces between the flanges 9, as shown in Fig. 2. v

The rotor.This comprises a shaft I5whose axis is the mainaxis of theenginejournaled in the bearings 4 and disks I6-I 1, disk I6 being keyed to the shaft and projecting between flanges: Band disks I1 flanking the flanges 9 and being suitably spaced from disk I6 by and secured to the latters hub (Fig. 2) by screws IIa. Eachdisk I'Ihasanannular concentric plate I8 secured to its outer face, the disk and plate being formed at equal intervals with opposed concentric apertures here in the form of slots I9, a concentric groove 20 in the disk (covered by the plate) forming a guideway for the arcuate slides 2| which close off communication through the slots from one to the other of the space 22a (herein termed the rotor chamber) between disks I! and each of the spaces 22 (affording oil-chambers) outwardly flanking these disks. Between the flanges 9 and disk I6 are packing rings '23 and each disk I! has a concentric rib I'I-a received in a corresponding groove in the adjoining flanges 9. The rotor disk I6vrhas webs I Ba projecting through the cylinder slot and having within the cylinder equally spaced abutments 24 secured to the webs by screws 24a and each of which has sealing rings 24b and also a part-cylindrical skirt 25, all such skirts projecting in the rear direction (the rotor rotates as per arrow a, Fig. 1) and each overhanging a cut-out 26 between the webs. The portion of the cylinder forward of each abutment forms with the abutment a pocket which is closed with respect to the cylinder-slot by the corresponding web lfia and which may be regarded as open at the front in the absence of the corresponding piston.

What may be termed each closed or explosion space of the cylinder is the space of this pocket closed at its forward end by the piston. What may be termed herein each open space of the cylinder is that space within thecylinder and between any piston and the abutment non-coactive therewith or next forward thereof, such space being openvia the slot and corresponding cut-out to the aforesaid rotor chamber so that the suction and pressure'developed in said open space offer no appreciable resistance to the piston.

Power-transmitting means.--Planet gears 21, equally spaced and housed in. the oi1chambers, are journaledon stub-shafts 28 projecting from disks I! and mesh with the gears 8, being each one-half the diameter of the latter gears. Connecting an eccentric wrist-pin 21a of eachplanet gear with a piston-lever is a link 29, such pistonlever being here in two'main sections (a piston and a lever proper) and of several parts rigidly related to each other or forming a unitary lever structure, as follows: The section 30 is the mentioned piston having sealing-rings 30a and a part-cylindrical skirt 30b projecting in the forward direction and lapping the skirtof the next forward abutment, and also having a forward pair of lugs 30c and an inwardly projecting boss 3Bdon its skirt. The other. section comprises a shaft 3| penetrating the corresponding slide 2| without permitting leakage from one to the other of the rotor chamber and either oil-chamber, a pair 'offinwardly projecting arms 32 journaled (as by ball-bearings 33) on shaft l5, a pair of outwardly projecting arms 34 with which the links "29 are connected (arms 32 and 34 being in the oil-chamber) and an arm 35 (between disks H) which occupies a cut-out'ZB, penetrates the cylinder slot I la and has its outer end bent rearwardly and afiixed to boss 30d by a screw 36 and its terminus between and pinned tolugs 300. All the arms are rigidly aifixed to shaft 3|.

Each pair of overlapping'skirts affords clearance to the corresponding lever proper. The function thereof is to isolate the mentioned corresponding open cylinder-space from the exhaust and intake when such open cylinder space passes the same. p

Spark plugs are shown at '31 screwed into hollow bosses of the cylinder and at 38 and 39 are respectively shown the exhaust and intake.

Operationm the rotation of the rotor and, with it, the planet gears relatively to the stator the planetgears rotate on their own axes and the links and piston-levers oscillate, with consequent expansion and contraction of the corresponding closed spaces of the cylinder, during each revolution of the rotor, to'wit, expansion when saidspace coincides with the intake'to draw in a fresh fuel charge, contraction to compress the charge, which is fired at 3'], expansion involving application of power through the pistonlever, link and planet-gear to eifectthe'propulmay be one or more. in fact on which element the lever is fulcrumed of the rotary element;

sion, and contraction to expel the spent fuel charge at the exhaust.

The gearing is so arranged that the pistons reciprocate reversely to each other, by which I mean that when any one is moving toward the abutment coactive therewith in driving the rotor another is moving from the abutment so coactive therewith.

Of course either of the elements herein termed the rotor and stator might be the rotating and the other the non-rotating element; and the number of systems comprising a planet gear, lever and piston, with a corresponding abutment, It is further immaterial to oscillate when, as herein shown, it is fulcrumed to oscillate around the axis of rotation In the present instance, since the disks I! are spaced from each other and also from disk IS the space between them affords ample relief to the pressure and suction tending to develop in the cylinder forward of any piston, and where there is a plurality of the mentioned systems it is common to all such spaces in the cylinder in which such suction and pressure tend to develop; in respect to this feature of my invention any means to oscillate the piston which operatively connects the two elements may be utilized. Within the broad concept of my invention, either disk l1 may be regarded as dividing the housing into but two chambers, one herein termed the oil-chamber and the other communicating with the interior of the cylinder through its slot, the lever reaching from the first chamber through the disk into the second chamber; in short, it is not essential that therebe three chambers and a bifurcated type of lever.

Each piston-lever has the piston thereof confined (as at 30c30d) to the lever proper thereof against angular displacement in theplane of movement of the lever proper, whereby pistonslap and wear of the piston and cylinder, which would otherwise ensue, are avoided.

Having thus fully described my invention'what I claim is:

1. A rotary internal-combustion engine including, with two elements one of which includes a housing and a cylinder formed annular around the main axis of the engine and with a continuous slot open to the interior of the housing and the other of which includes, in fixed relation to each other, an abutment in the cylinder and a disk concentric with the cylinder and dividing the housing into two chambers and having an eccentric aperture, one such chamber communicating through the slot with the interior of the cylinder and one: such element being rotative relatively to the other around said axis, a piston in the cylinder, one of said elements having means at the piston side of the abutment to close the slot from abutment to piston during each reciprocation of the latter, a lever fulcrumed in the other chamber on one element and reaching through the slot and aperture and connected to the piston, means, in the latter chamber and operatively connecting said elements, for oscillating the lever, and means movable with the lever for maintaining said aperture closed.

2. A rotary internal-combustion engine including, with two elements one of which includes a housing and a cylinder formed annular around the main'axis of the engine and with a continuousslot open to the interior of the housing and the other of which includes, in fixed relation to each other, an abutment in the cylinder and spaced disks concentric with the cylinder and dividing the housing into three chambers and each disk having an eccentric aperture, the middle chamber communicating through the slot with the interior of the cylinder and one such element being rotative relatively tothe other around said axis, a piston in the cylinder, one of said elements having means at the piston side of the abutment to close the slot from abutment to piston during each reciprocation of the latter,

a lever having an arm in the middle compartment and extending through the slot and connected to the piston and a pair of fulcrum portions' extending through the respective apertures and pivoted on one of said elements in the other two chambers, respectively, means, in the latter two chambers and operatively connecting said elements, for oscillating the lever, and means movable with the lever for maintaining said apertures closed.

HARRY F. WOLS'I'ENHOLME. 

